Drinks, Delectables And Discussion At Dandelyan

My first girl date of February was actually my third time hanging out with the glorious Jennifer. I relish any opportunity I get to spend time with her so I was very excited see her after nearly four months of separation.

I’m having a bit of a love affair with purple at the moment so I had to put this combo together. Both the dress and cardigan are from Vivien of Holloway. I added a vintage brooch for a bit of sparkle.

To begin with, we had a walk round the Tate Modern. While I waited for Jennifer, I had a go on the swings (an installation by Superflex) and chatted to a few tourists. It was a fun experience – both new and nostalgic. Together, we took in the likes of Bruce Nauman, Guerilla Girls and Barbara Kruger – as well as chilly views of London.

From the gallery, we strolled over to Dandelyan Bar located in the Mondrian hotel. I have to say it is a particularly gorgeous place to have afternoon tea. The decor gives off serious Wes Anderson vibes and I love the colours. A great photo shoot spot.

On to the afternoon tea itself – we opted for the Wyld Tea, which is an afternoon tea paired with four cocktails. It kicked off with a zingy lime and prosecco concoction that was greatly appreciated by both of us (I liked the marshmallow too). As the savouries arrived, we moved on to a palate-cleansing melon and cardamom spritz. As well as the usual sarnies, there was some moreish cheese on toast and a pastry swirl too. Jennifer had the veggie option and she was definitely a happy bunny.

Not long after, we moved onto the cakes and boy, were they beautiful! We also got another cocktail – a dinky vodka number. I really loved the cake selection. The Battenburg was yummy in spite of the marzipan and the rose blancmange was sat upon such a buttery shortbread. My favourite of all the patisserie had to be the nutmeg custard tart; caramel, vanilla, custard and crisp pastry are always a stellar combo. Jennifer had a nut-free selection that reminded me of a pixie village. We both had clean plates at the end, ready for our final fruity tipple.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I’m usually weary of drink pairings as they’re not always to my taste. This selection worked really well though! If I could change anything about the afternoon tea, I’d add in scones. This was my first afternoon tea without them and it just didn’t feel quite right – I need clotted cream and jam in my life. That aside, I’ll be heading back for sure. Post-tea, we opted for ‘Lonely Heart Killers’ cocktails as we chatted (another yummy choice).

One of the best things about our friendship is that we can talk about literally everything; we rarely have a quiet moment between us. I feel like we put the world to rights and lift each other up. Obviously we’ve not known one another long but that doesn’t really matter – we intend doing this kind of thing well into old age!